'King of Romance' Yash Chopra's first love story was a tale of polyamory that was accepted by the masses - The Indian Express

Filmmaker Yash Chopra is remembered as the ‘King of Romance’ by Hindi movie lovers. His notion and treatment of what romance is supposed to look like in the movies set a template for the next generation of filmmakers. But, while Chopra gave this visual template of love on screen, the stories he told were anything but formulaic. And this was evident from his very first love story, Daag. The foundation of Yash Raj Films, the 1973 film Daag was a love triangle with Rajesh Khanna, Rakhee and Sharmila Tagore in lead roles. After watching umpteen amount of love triangles, we all know how they usually end but this is where Chopra shocked the audience.

Daag, for the unversed, follows Sunil (Khanna) who is married to Sonia (Tagore). Circumstances play the devil and Sunil finds himself in a pretend marriage with Chandni (Rakhee). It is very rare to come across a malicious, evil protagonist in a Yash Chopra film and the same happens here as well. No one here is evil but, they are all a victim of their circumstances. The film invests a fair amount of time in making us believe that Sunil and Sonia belong together so when we find out that he is now living with another woman, it leaves you perplexed. While most part of Daag bows to popular convention – great musical numbers by Laxmikant Pyarelal and Sahir Ludhianvi, and an impressive cast that had the audience in their pockets even before the release, it is the resolution of the story that makes you sit up.

Unlike any of the popular Hindi film love triangles, here Sunil ends up going home with both Sonia and Chandni and all three of them are extremely accepting of it. During the climatic courtroom scene when Khanna’s Sunil and Tagore’s Sonia reunite with each other, she invites Rakhee’s Chandni into the mix so they can all live like a happy family. Up until this point in the film, we are told that Sunil is aware of his duty towards both these women and completely acknowledges what Chandni has given up to get his name cleared in a murder case, but he is in love with Sonia and there is no way he could give that up once again. Sonia is an innocent bystander who has been having a bad stroke of luck throughout the film so she, clearly, is not the bad guy here. And Chandni is the epitome of nobility so she too, can’t be blamed for anything and this is what plays to Chopra’s strength in the film.

The climactic courtroom scene throws a curveball to the audience. (Photo: Express Archives)

In a chat with Karan Johar in 2009, the filmmaker said that there were no negative reactions from the audience towards the film’s end because they were completely onboard with the story of these characters and were in agreement that no one should be punished for the mistakes they had not made.

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The film released in 1973 and at the time, the film’s financier Gulshan Rai had suggested to Yash Chopra that they should release it in less than ten theatres because they had to be prepared for the fact that there would be intense backlash to this climax, but nothing of that nature ever happened. Calling it the “most important film of my life”, Yash said that everyone from the cast to the distributors to even his financier were skeptical about the fate of this film but they sailed smoothly as the film turned out to be a huge hit.

While Daag does not use the word polyamory (or anything suggesting the same) to explain the relationship of its three primary characters, it is brave enough to stick to its conviction. The decisions that the film is making are in no way acceptable by the larger society yet it presents itself in a palatable way. The film toys with the idea of monogamy and tries to fight for it, but cleverly gets out of its own way. In a significant scene, Chandni confronts Sunil after he has spent a night with Sonia. She is obviously jealous, but her jealousy simply vanishes after she learns of their love and in this moment, Sonia too, finds a place in her love story for the so-called other woman and makes her a part of their love story.

Daag is one of those rare attempts where the idea of an unconventional relationship was explored and accepted by the audience. In his later years, when Yash Chopra tried to do something similar with Silsila or Lamhe, the results were not the same and there was immense backlash to the idea of those love stories. Daag might not be the best of Yash Chopra, or even YRF, but it certainly is a film that demands to be noted for its unorthodox take on relationships.

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2022-12-17 02:35:52Z

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